Beatles Book Tunes In to the Band’s History

At this point, a Beatles book really has to be something special to stand out from the library full of volumes that have been written about the band. 'Tune In,' a new tome from Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn, looks like it might fit the bill.

The first volume in a planned trilogy called 'The Beatles: All These Years,' 'Tune In' focuses on the band members' early years -- and Lewinsohn means that literally. The book description promises a journey that "takes the Beatles from before their childhoods through the final hour of 1962." As fans know, ending in 1962 is no accident; as the synopsis puts it, that's the year in which the band was "on the cusp of a whole new kind of fame and celebrity."

What 'Tune In' might lack in Beatlemania it makes up with Lewinsohn's "unprecedented archival access and hundreds of new interviews to construct the full story of the lives and work of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr." A full decade in the making, it will let readers see "the complete and true account of their family lives, childhoods, teenage years and their infatuation with American music" as well as "the riveting narrative of their unforgettable days and nights in the Cavern Club, their laughs, larks and adventures when they could move about freely, before fame closed in."

Even for fans who have already stuffed their shelves with multiple Beatles books, 'Tune In' should prove difficult to resist. The 944-page volume is scheduled for an Oct. 29 release.